1941 – Walter Huston
The Devil and Daniel Webster
First off, to address the little elephant in the room, the poster says All that Money Can Buy because they actually changed the name of the movie to avoid confusion with another film that came out around the same time called The Devil and Miss Jones, but the restored the name later.
I actually loved Walter Huston’s performance in this movie. He played none other than the Devil, himself. There was no pitchfork, no fire and brimstone, no horns, though he wore a hat that often gave the appearance of horns. He was the trickster, who was out to swindle honest men out of their souls. What was so wonderful about his performance was that he seemed to play into the mythos of old Scratch. He was friendly and charming. He was quick with a handshake. But there was a maniacal madness lurking just under the surface. There was a dark and calculating sense of single-minded purpose. Nowhere was this more evident than in the barn dance scene. He was playing the fiddle faster and faster, his features growing darker and more demonic as he played.
And then there was his voice, his recognizable voice that has to be a Huston Family trait. I first heard it in his son, John Huston, in the 1977 animated film, The Hobbit, voicing Gandalf. Walter’s voice had that same epic quality, that same gravitas, that same personality. His voice was perfect for the sly Father of Lies. His wide smile was almost clown-like, showing all his teeth in a slightly disturbing way. And yet, it was strangely mischievous and disarming at the same time.
But I hesitantly venture the opinion that maybe he shouldn’t have been nominated for Best Actor. The role of Mr. Scratch wasn’t the lead character of the film. That character was actually James Craig, playing Jabez Stone. He was the story’s protagonist. It was, after all, his soul that was in danger from the supporting character of Mr. Scratch, and it was his story that the plot followed. It’s just that, due in large part to Huston’s great performance, the devil was more interesting to watch. Houston was a scene stealer! He even stole that last scene of the film. Looking for his next victim, he breaks the fourth wall and points at the audience.